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![]() Friday, May 8, 1998 Published at 14:54 GMT 15:54 UK ![]() ![]() ![]() UK ![]() New grave honours Churchill ![]() Sir Winston Churchill's tomb has been replaced after visitors eroded the graveyard.
The grave of Sir Winston Churchill has been re-dedicated on the anniversary of his greatest victory.
Members of the Spencer-Churchill family attended the special service at the redesigned tomb.
The 18th century parish church lies just outside the estate of Blenheim Palace, seat of the Dukes of Marlborough, where Churchill was born.
The Portland stone replacement of the original tomb follows years of erosion around the grave by visitors paying their respects to the former prime minister.
He said: "The problem was that when my grandfather decided to be buried here no one
knew that it would become a shrine for people who come from the far ends of the
Earth.
"If two or three coach-loads of people arrived at the same time people were forced to walk on the graves, which had started to slip down a slope.
"I received many letters from visitors who felt that the site did not do justice to the great man."
The tomb for the statesman and his wife Clementine was designed by architect William Bertram, who has worked closely with Prince Charles at Highgrove.
The trustees of the Churchill Grave Trust include the Duke of Marlborough, Lady Soames, Churchill's daughter and only surviving child, and Winston Churchill.
Mr Churchill, who was accompanied by his wife Luce, son Jack and daughter Jenny, said the family had wanted to create a place of contemplation where people could reflect what his grandfather had achieved.
But villagers of Bladon say they are annoyed that they were not consulted over the plans.
Some have claimed the improvements, which took six months, have taken their toll on villagers sentiments.
The Rev John Fearn, a priest at the church, said: "I feel that the outlay in refurbishing all the family gravestones at Bladon could have been better spent on a more humanitarian cause or a scholarship.
"I think the original memorial was perfectly adequate for the final resting place of such an eminent statesman.
"I think it would have been better to leave the graves in peace."
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